Eke Panuku Development Auckland
Eke Panuku Development Auckland (Eke Panuku) is one of three council-controlled organisations (CCOs)[1] of Auckland Council in Auckland, New Zealand. Eke Panuku manages a NZD$2.3bn property portfolio of non-core Auckland Council assets.
Eke Panuku buys, manages and sells property on behalf of the council and its CCOs. It does not develop the sites directly, but acts as the "master developer" to "unlock development potential for others."[2] It has portfolios that range from small housing developments to long-term regeneration such as the Wynyard Quarter on Auckland's waterfront, and to redevelopment of town centres and malls.[3]
History
Eke Panuku was established on 1 September 2015 with a board of 10 members. It was formed from a merger between Waterfront Auckland and Auckland Council Properties Limited (ACPL).[3] The merged entity was briefly referred to as Development Auckland prior to its rebranding as Panuku. It was later renamed to Eke Panuku.[4]
Prior to merging, Waterfront Auckland served "custodians of the waterfront on behalf of Auckland ratepayers".[5] The agency was responsible for leading the revitalisation of Auckland's inner waterfront. Waterfront Auckland oversaw first stage of the Wynyard Quarter development and the reopening of Queens Wharf as a public space. It was responsible for attracting multinational hospitality company Hyatt back to New Zealand with its $400 million hotel on the waterfront. Waterfront Auckland was chaired by Sir Bob Harvey, former Mayor of Waitakere City.
ACPL undertook all property acquisitions and disposals for Auckland Council and Auckland Transport, managing $900 million in assets in 2015. It was tasked with ensuring appropriate financial return on council-owned commercial or non-service property. The agency also played a key role in enabling Auckland Council's place-shaping and housing development objectives with a focus on affordable housing and town centre regeneration.[6] ACPL partnered with Todd Property Ltd to develop the Ormiston Town Centre, a major greenfield site for Auckland at Flat Bush. ACPL was chaired by Sir John Wells, former banker and chair of the Auckland City Council Property Enterprise Board.[7]
Organisation
Eke Panuku is led by a board of directors comprising nine members appointed by Auckland Council. The current board chair is Auckland-based Iwi leader and environmental and Treaty of Waitangi lawyer.
Eke Panuku operationally is led the executive leadership team led by the Chief Executive. David Rankin is the current Chief Executive, leading the organisation since 2019. Rankin was Chief Executive of ACPL at the time of merging with Waterfront Auckland to establish Eke Panuku. Rankin was Chief Executive Officer of Auckland City Council from 2005 until amalgamation to Auckland Council in 2010.
Chief Executives
- John Dalzell – interim CEO from 1 September 2015, formerly head of Waterfront Auckland[4]
Portfolio
Eke Panuku owns numerous public assets in Auckland including:
- Westhaven Marina
- Silo Marina[10]
- Viaduct Marina[11]
- Wynyard Quarter[12]
Projects
Eke Panuku worked with the council's transport CCO Auckland Transport to re-house owners and tenants prior to the demolition of more than 60 properties in preparation for the construction of the Eastern Busway.[13]
In December 2018, Eke Panuku was involved in construction of a new mall in Ormiston in south Auckland, in conjunction with Todd Property. Nearby, 700 homes are being built by the partnership.[14]
Controversy
In October 2016, Eke Panuku began limiting the amount of information it released about discussions behind its closed door board meetings. At that time, it was managing $1 billion worth of council-owned land and buildings.[9]
In December 2018, Eke Panuku was involved in construction of a new mall in Ormiston in south Auckland, in conjunction with Todd Property. Nearby, 700 homes are being built by the partnership.[14]
On 1 November 2019, it was announced that CEO Roger MacDonald had resigned after a period of leave. The reason for the leave has not been made public. Mayor of Auckland Phil Goff, who was re-elected in October 2019, had expressed dissatisfaction with MacDonald over an $80,000 increase in his salary, an executive bonus scheme introduced by him, and his acceptance of hospitality from a company which bought the council's former headquarters building through Eke Panuku.[8]
References
- ^ "Council-controlled organisations (CCO)". Auckland Council. 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
- ^ "What we do". Eke Panuku Development Auckland. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
- ^ a b "Leading questions: Roger MacDonald". The New Zealand Herald. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Got some panuku? The council does". The New Zealand Herald. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ "Your Waterfront, Auckland | Waterfront Auckland | Leading the revitalisation of Your Waterfront | Home". web.archive.org. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Our Purpose » Auckland Council Property Ltd". web.archive.org. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Board of Directors » Auckland Council Property Ltd". web.archive.org. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ a b c "Panuku CEO Roger MacDonald resigns after mysterious leave". Stuff.co.nz. 1 November 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Council-controlled organisation, Panuku Development, has closed its board meetings to the public". Stuff.co.nz. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
- ^ Panuku.Marinas. "Silo Home". Panuku.Marinas. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Panuku.Marinas. "Viaduct Home". Panuku.Marinas. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ Quarter, Wynyard. "Home". Wynyard Quarter. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- ^ "Preparation for construction of AMETI Eastern Busway ramps up". Times Online - times.co.nz. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
- ^ a b "Ormiston's $200m shopping centre to create hundreds of jobs in south Auckland". Stuff.co.nz. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.